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Caius
09-10-2007, 20:46
Hello guys,

First, this is a half thank you! In this site, I leant English. Yes, I always annoyed with the meaning of words, and I've noticed that I never said Thanks! for it.

Second, my parents decided i should go to an english academy, just to learn it. In all this time, which is 6 months and a some days, I've leant english.
Now, time have come. Its the time to test my english skills and having the First Certificate.

So, what do u know about it? Im just curious what im going to test.

Cheers

The most annoying pseudo Roman Diplomat ever

Caius

Vuk
09-10-2007, 21:02
lol, gl.

Vuk

Uesugi Kenshin
09-10-2007, 21:57
I would have to say that English is a very important language for the world traveler and I wish you the best of luck on your exams!

Any English you learned here may have been a bit slang-based for formal education, but as a non-native speaker that's one of the hardest parts of a language to learn through formal education!

woad&fangs
09-10-2007, 22:17
Hello guys,

First, this is a half thank you! On this site, I learned English. Yes, I was always annoyed with the meaning of words, and I've noticed that I never said thanks for it.

Second, my parents decided I should go to an english academy, just to learn it. In all this time, which is 6 months and some days, I've leaed english.
Now, the time has come. Its the time to test my english skills and take the First Certificate.

So, what do you know about it? I'm just curious what I'm going to test.

Cheers

The most annoying pseudo Roman Diplomat ever

Caius
Fixed it for you. Good luck taking the test. English is a hard language to learn.

Uesugi Kenshin
09-11-2007, 02:32
Fixed it for you. Good luck taking the test. English is a hard language to learn.

I've actually heard that a lot of it is very easy for foreigners to learn in many ways, though tough in a couple, but I don't know about that, I've never had to learn English as a foreign language.

seireikhaan
09-11-2007, 02:38
Good luck! Not sure quite what its like for a foreigner to learn English, seeing as I learned it native. But if its as difficult as learning French was for me, then I feel sorry for all the people who've had to learn it(I had a terrible time w/ French, though I think my teacher might have had something to do w/ it, she was awful and my high school should have fired her a long time ago). If you can learn it in a few years, I'd like to use you as proof to my school system that we don't need to take it for 15 years.:wall:

Caius
09-11-2007, 03:17
Fixed it for you. Good luck taking the test. English is a hard language to learn.
I thank everyone

@woad: I want to say that I am (insert word he cant say right now) when I ask about the meaning of the words.

Uesugi Kenshin
09-11-2007, 03:36
Good luck! Not sure quite what its like for a foreigner to learn English, seeing as I learned it native. But if its as difficult as learning French was for me, then I feel sorry for all the people who've had to learn it(I had a terrible time w/ French, though I think my teacher might have had something to do w/ it, she was awful and my high school should have fired her a long time ago). If you can learn it in a few years, I'd like to use you as proof to my school system that we don't need to take it for 15 years.:wall:

I think immersion is the only way to really learn a language well. I never did all that well in Spanish, especially when it came to speaking, but during my time in Germany I got to a point where I could understand and express pretty much everything in German, and that was only in ten and a half months!

If you want to learn a language live in a country where it is the primary language and avoid speaking any other language and ask LOTS of questions.

Sigurd
09-11-2007, 12:18
[edit]: Rehash of Uesugi's post

The first and foremost trick to learn another language is; go were they are speaking it.
I was rubbish at English when I finished school.

For GvI this site has probably helped much... I remember him as a new patron and there was not much more to his posts than single words or simple phrases.

For me it was my many visits to Scotland in the mid 90’s that gave me an English vocabulary and later my studies in Australia that helped putting this vocabulary in writing.
I did grow a dependency on the Word editor for grammar and spelling which gave me trouble on my final exams. However, my other work was first class and I got decent grades after all. The chat room has helped me writing English without the aid of Word and its spelling check.

Learning a second or third language is hard, especially if you have to rely on the classroom as the primary source.
The best way is to put yourself in the situation where the only way to communicate with your surroundings is via this language.

Husar
09-11-2007, 12:36
I agree that Garci learned a lot already.:2thumbsup:

I'm actually a bit of an english fan, I even prefer english forums over german ones. That said, when is the .org teamspeak server due? ~;)

I mean Garci needs some actual speech practice.:sweatdrop:

Andres
09-11-2007, 13:20
I second the others.

You've learned alot already Garcilaso :2thumbsup: Congratulations ~:cheers:

Just keep posting and don't be afraid to make a long post or to express complicated thoughts. And never hesitate to ask a question.

Off course, you'll also have to learn Dutch one day... :sweatdrop:

Good luck with the exams!

FactionHeir
09-11-2007, 13:29
So what is Caius native language then?

English was actually quite easy to learn IMHO. The worst was getting used to comma placement, which is quite different from German (I think).

Never heard of first certificate btw.

Husar
09-11-2007, 13:56
So what is Caius native language then?
I think it's Spanish.


English was actually quite easy to learn IMHO. The worst was getting used to comma placement, which is quite different from German (I think).
I'm not sure about comma placement, sometimes you can leave them all away in both languages I think though I tens to use plenty of them.:laugh4:
The apostrophe placement is quite different though and from what I gathered on the net so far, some native english speakers (note: not speaker's) seem to have problems with that themselves. ~;)

Caius
09-11-2007, 16:16
I think it's Spanish.
It's Spanish from Argentina. If you study Spanish, someday ask for the different words in Argentina.


Off course, you'll also have to learn Dutch one day...

So, where can I learn it? I think some day I will pay you a visit, eh, I mean, I want to understand Dutch and the TYOLT thread.

edyzmedieval
09-11-2007, 17:36
Ah, Garcilaso, you are entering my own study region. I just passed my Proficiency Certificate, which means basically that my English is very very good. Bragging rights? No. Proud of it? YES. :yes:

Advice: Learn a lot. It's hard, even the FCE.

Uesugi Kenshin
09-11-2007, 20:48
I think it's Spanish.


I'm not sure about comma placement, sometimes you can leave them all away in both languages I think though I tens to use plenty of them.:laugh4:
The apostrophe placement is quite different though and from what I gathered on the net so far, some native english speakers (note: not speaker's) seem to have problems with that themselves. ~;)


I'd just like to take this opportunity to say that German is definitely a really cool language.

Ice
09-11-2007, 21:09
Hey good luck with your test!

It is very impressive that you learned how to speak English this well. I'm in my third semester of Spanish and my ability to speak Spanish is probably that of a 6 year old and I probably write at an 8 year old's level. Learning a foreign language is very difficult for everyone, except those freaks of nature who naturally pick it up. (You know who you are :laugh4: )

I know you probably have plenty of help, but if you ever need help in writing/speaking or whatever any part of Americanized English, don't hesitate to ask me.

spmetla
09-12-2007, 10:14
It's easy for me to forget that a lot of you guys post here in a language that isn't your primary language.

I wish you luck on your test, always happy to see people rewarded for time spent studying.

naut
09-12-2007, 11:53
Good luck GvI! I wish my studying was as fun as posting here.

ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88
09-12-2007, 13:33
It's Spanish from Argentina. If you study Spanish, someday ask for the different words in Argentina.



So, where can I learn it? I think some day I will pay you a visit, eh, I mean, I want to understand Dutch and the TYOLT thread.


Hola!

Good English you have. I think you do good. :yes:

Caius
09-13-2007, 02:28
Now, Im going to start to study, well, if I have time. :P

I remember when I was teaching spanish here :P. If someone have questions with Spanish, just click in the Send Pm thingie.

TinCow
09-13-2007, 16:20
English was actually quite easy to learn IMHO. The worst was getting used to comma placement, which is quite different from German (I think).

Most native English speakers have no idea how to use commas properly. I think that people who learn it as a second language probably have a better understanding of punctuation. In particular, native English speakers rarely use the semicolon. That is an error, as the semicolon is one of the most versatile punctuation marks and it really needs to be used more often.

For whatever reason, I have also found that Germans are particularly adept at speaking English. Perhaps it is the education system, perhaps the culture, or perhaps the nature of US/UK/German relations over the last 50 years; maybe it's a combination of all three. Regardless, I find that Germans speak English far better than any other nationality.

Caius
09-13-2007, 18:57
In Spanish, commas are very , just not to say always, used.

Sarmiento, who created the first school here, made an example about it. I don't remember it now

Boyar Son
09-13-2007, 19:08
Good Luck:2thumbsup:

Warmaster Horus
09-13-2007, 19:08
For whatever reason, I have also found that Germans are particularly adept at speaking English. Perhaps it is the education system, perhaps the culture, or perhaps the nature of US/UK/German relations over the last 50 years; maybe it's a combination of all three. Regardless, I find that Germans speak English far better than any other nationality.

I would say it's because both languages are close: for instance, house, and Hause. Storm, and Sturm. And there are plenty more examples.

Good luck Garci! I'm sure you'll succeed.

shlin28
09-13-2007, 21:04
Most native English speakers have no idea how to use commas properly. I think that people who learn it as a second language probably have a better understanding of punctuation. In particular, native English speakers rarely use the semicolon. That is an error, as the semicolon is one of the most versatile punctuation marks and it really needs to be used more often.

For whatever reason, I have also found that Germans are particularly adept at speaking English. Perhaps it is the education system, perhaps the culture, or perhaps the nature of US/UK/German relations over the last 50 years; maybe it's a combination of all three. Regardless, I find that Germans speak English far better than any other nationality.

Because the two languages are extremely familiar, remember that the Angles of Angle-Land came from Germany.

And "I am shlin29" becomes "Ich bin shlin28", not that different really... (pity that one sentence is the only one i remember that is defintely correct, and im taking a german GCSE! :dizzy2:)

Caius
09-22-2007, 00:25
Im giving you a little update:
Yesterday, I made an exam. And I made it OK!

I had to have 24 points, and I made 27,14. Although, thats only a minimal part.

CountArach
09-22-2007, 05:17
Nice job! :2thumbsup: I must say that your English has now become much better - I do remember some of your earlier posts.

woad&fangs
09-22-2007, 18:54
Congratulations Mr. Inca Man.:birthday2:

Edit: Gah, I spelled congratulations wrong. Actually, I'm still not sure that is the correct spelling. If a universal language is ever chosen I really hope it isn't English.

Charge
09-24-2007, 14:39
Congrats, Garcilaso :applause: Eh, when I finally will be able to speak English such as you guys...:trytofly:

Andres
09-24-2007, 14:50
Congratulations Caius :balloon:

Caius
04-13-2008, 04:34
Well, I started (again) studies for the exam. Hopefully, this year will be better.

Quid
04-13-2008, 22:33
Many moons ago I did my FCE, CAE and PCE. I never thought that learning English was particularly difficult but then, I had the fortune of studying it in England. It took me a mere three months to achieve FCE standard and only a year to pass my IGCSE in English.

So, don't fret. As long as you're confident with the FCE format, you will do well. Do as many papers as you can get your hands on. It's all about practicing the actual test. Make sure you know how to write a formal/informal letter, train the grammar of FCE and read a lot. As I remember it, the summary part was by far the most difficult. Don't overdo the essay part. Write only as much as is required.

That's about all I remember. I hope it goes well. Good luck!

Quid

Caius
04-14-2008, 00:50
Thanks Quid for the tips!

macsen rufus
04-14-2008, 13:06
Felicitationes, Caius :balloon2:

pevergreen
04-14-2008, 14:46
Dear Caius...We certainly have watched you grow in your mastery of the english language.

I do wish you the best, and trust me, im rooting for you!

ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88
04-14-2008, 16:45
Fixed it for you. Good luck taking the test. English is a hard language to learn.


I think Chiense and Japanese is the hardest, but since I'm native to speaking English, I don't know how it is to learn English.


Good Luck Caius!! :yes: :yes: